A classroom is meant to be a safe haven for students where they can learn about the world and grow as people. What germs they are being exposed to and probably bringing home shouldn’t be at the forefront of everyone’s mind.
But sometimes, all the hand sanitizer in the world isn’t enough to stop schools from being hotbeds for germ spreading. From the little kids in kindergarten to the big kids in high school, coming into contact with airborne and surface pathogens is an inevitable part of going to school.
However, when that happens during cold and flu season or during the global pandemic we currently find ourselves in, the stakes are much higher to keep the school as clean as possible.
How Germy Are Schools?
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the average adult can get 2-3 colds a year while the average child gets more. As children are more susceptible to colds, a kindergartner could experience as many as 12 a year.
Flu season also usually begins right around the beginning of the school year. According to WebMD, high school students are particularly vulnerable to catching the flu, with an average of 762,000 close proximity interactions daily. That’s everything from catching the bus, socializing with friends, changing classrooms, to eating in the cafeteria.
If regular cold and flu season was not enough to remind you of how germy schools can be, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a sobering reminder. Most schools across the nation did what they had never done before — shut down and switch to remote learning to help keep students and teachers safe and healthy. Over a year later, many schools are still running on a remote, hybrid, or part-time schedule.
How Can Hydroxyl Generators Help Keep Schools Safe?
The COVID-19 pandemic has put extra urgency on the need to safely and thoroughly disinfect schools. Many school districts across the country have turned to the use of hydroxyl generators to further bolster their cleaning and disinfection protocols.
Hydroxyl generators work by automatically releasing hydroxyl radicals into the building. Hydroxyl radicals are created naturally in the Earth’s atmosphere to act as a natural cleaner and can kill pathogens not only in the air but on surfaces. These radicals are not only effective, but they’re fast as they react over one million times faster than bleach or other cleaning agents.
By replicating the sun’s broad range of UV radiation, hydroxyl generators can help naturally clean indoor environments where airborne droplets could spread a variety of germs. That’s why they are currently being used in classrooms, locker rooms, nurse’s offices, and other places in a school where people need to be kept safe.
Why Are Hydroxyl Generators Ideal for a School Setting?
The efficiency with which hydroxyl generators kill airborne pathogens is not the only reason this solution is being embraced by schools. One major reason is the ease with which it can be operated. Educators, administrators, and maintenance staff don’t have to have an engineering degree to make sure a generator is doing its job. It’s designed to simply be plugged in, turned on, and given time to do the work.
Also ideal for schools, hydroxyl generators are designed to be used in occupied spaces. Since March of 2020, it has been the goal of every school building to open its doors and get kids back into classrooms as safely as possible. With hydroxyl generators, that’s possible now more than ever. There’s no need to wait until the building is sitting empty in order to run the generators. They can work while the regular school day is going on.
These generators can be used nightly, weekly, or on a continuing basis, depending on how much deep cleaning needs to take place in a school.
Finally, it’s ideal for a school setting because of its availability. If schools are looking to invest in generators to be part of their standard cleaning protocol, generators can be purchased outright. However, if that’s not in the budget of the school district, hydroxyl generators can also be rented while schools bide their time for COVID-19 to be less of a threat to students and teachers.
Odorox® Hydroxyl Group can work with any district of any size to help eliminate the threat of airborne pathogens that can make people sick and keep kids out of school. Contact one of our professionals today to discuss how we can help partner with your school to find the right product to get the job done easily and effectively.
